Railroad-crossing guard



May 4 1926. 1,583,016

C. E. SHEARON RAILROAD CROSSING GUARD Original iled Decs, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 c. E. SHEARON RA LR J cnossms GUARD Original Filed ec. 5. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Patented Ma 4 26" i.

enemies nnwrn 's'HEAnon, or Harri-assent rarssrssrrrr," Assrenon. on 'ron ry;

NINE ONE-HUNDREDTHSTO ROBERT L. Annaneon, 01 HArrI sB G, ,MISSIS- SIPPL' V n'ArIaaoAn onossrne ;simian;

Application filed; December 5,1923, Serial no; 678,704. RenewedvMarch 29', 192s.

'1 all whom it may concern. 1 Y t a.

- Be it known that I, CHARLns E. Srrnanon, a citizen of the United States, residing at I-Iattiesburg, in the county of Forrest and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful RailroadfGrossing Guarr, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide a simple means whereby a gate .or crossing guard may be operated by Wheels of a passing train.

" It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the u-tility-ofdevicesof that type to whioh the invention appertains.

lVith the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown, can be made, without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1

In the drawings;' I r Figure 1 shows in top plan, a device constructed in accordance withftheinvention; Figure 2 is an elevation wherein parts appear 1Il'S6Ci31OI1-;F1gL1I8 3 1s a sectionon the line 3-3 ofFigure 1, remote'parts being omittedg'Figure 4 is a section on the line H of =Figure 1, remote parts being omitted. i j

The device hereinafter prises a support 1 whereon' a gate 2 is pivoted at 3 for vertical swinging'movement, the gate being adapted to cooperate with a striking post 4, the' gate carrying depending cords 5. The gate 2 may be located at any desired height and maybe of any'desired construction. It may be desired to locate the gate 2 at such a height that an automobile may drive under the -gate', tl1e cords 5 striking the front of the automobile to advise the driver of the vehicle that he is approaching a, railroad track. The gate 2 is Weighted as at 7, in order to open it.

The gate is closed by a flexible element 7 connected to the gate inwardly of the pivotal mounting 3 of the gate, thefflexible element being extended downwardly about an idler 8 on the sup ort and thence being extended horizontal y, the flexible element wound about a rotary member or wheel 9 or 'journaled at 10 on one of the ties 11 which described comsupp'ort the rails 12 and 1st of a track. A I pitman- '15 is pivoted at'16 to the wheel 9 a "andis pivoted at 17'to'the' rod 18- of a pis ton 19 operating ina cylinder 20, the cylin} der 20 being denominated a primary cylinder.

u [Iren "srarss T ear-EN?11ers!cs; i

The cylinder 20 has a bleed-valve 21w located behind-the piston 19. A. coinpression spring=22is located in the cylinder 20, oneend of the spring abutting against the head of' the cylinder and the other end of the spring abutting against thepiston 19.

- Bymeans eta branch pipe 23-, the rear end of the cylinder 19 is placed in communication withwa main pipe: 24., vcornmunioa tin g with a storage tank 25 carrying a pop valve 26, a pipe 27 leading fron'rthe tank 25 to a secondarycylinder-28 theipipe 27 being provided with a check valve 29 which opens toward the storage tank 25. A piston 30'operates in the cylinder 28and includes a rod 31 pivoted to one end of a lever 32,the lever 32 being fulcrumed intermediate its ends, as at 33 on one of the ties 11. I

base plate 34 is secured to certain of the ties 11, inwardly of the rail 12 and closely adjacen-t'thereto, the base plate carrying'I-a stop 35. The numeral 361111trk$ a lever'including a shortcurvedpart 37 and a longer straight part 38, the parts '37 and 38 being pi-votally connected 2151 31 39, the

long part; 38 oflthe lever having a curved end/l0, the end 40 and theshort part 37 of the lever bending away from the rail 12 at anangle thereto; The short part 370i 'the'lever is pivotally mounted at 41 on the i base plate "34:,a fulcrum of the lever thus being afforded. The connection 42 is mounted slidably "in the rail 12, one end of the 7 connection being pivoted a't 43 to the straight part 38' of the lever 36, the other end of the connection being pivoted at 44 to the lever .32. A'Ycarrier 45, preferably in the form of a rodyis slidable;longitudinally in thefrail 12 and the opening in the rail 12, which receives the carrier or red 45, is of such size that the carrier, if desired, have a slight movement longitudinally of the rail 12. The same observation holds true with I respect to'the opening in the part '38 of the lever 36, through which the rod 425 passes. Adjusting nuts 16 are threaded on theendsof the rod 45. A compression spring 17 is carried the rod 45 andis interposed between one adjusting n'ut46 the other adjusting nut 46 and the rail 12.

The springs 17 and 48 hold the parts 37 and 38 on the lever 36 in abutment with'the rail' 12, as shown in' Figure 3, but at the point where the body portion of the straight part 38 of the lever 36 merges into the curved part 40 of the lever, there is a space between the lever and the rail 12, as shown in Figure 1, this space being wide enough to admit the flange of a car wheeh In practical opera-tion, assuming that a train is proceeding along the track in the direction ofthe arrow A in Figure 1, the flanges of the wheels of the cars strike the curved end 40 of the part 38 of the lever 36 and impart swinging movement to the lever, the lever swinging clear of the stop 35. When, however, the train in proceeding along the track in the direction of the arrow B- in Figure 1, the wheels of the cars strike the part 37 of the lever, and the lever is elongated, part 10' of the'lev'er coming in contact with the stop 35', the stop serving to held constant, the space which exists, as shown in Figure 4, between one end of the part 38 of the lever 36 and the rail 12. The result is that the lever 36 will be swung when it is engaged by the wheels of the train moving along the track in the direction of the arrow A, whereas the wheels of a train proceeding in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 1 will not impart any movement to the lever 26 which will result in a movement of the connection 42,

When a train proceeding in the direction of the arrow A, operates the lever 36 and the connection 42, as aforesaid, the connection imparts swinging movement to the lever 32 and the piston 33 is operated, air passing the check valve, 29 and being stored in the tank 25. hen a sutiicient pressure has built up in thetank 25, this pressure overcomes the force of the spring 22 in the cylinder- 20 and the piston 19 is advanced, rotation being imparted to the wheel 9 through the instrumentality of the piston rod 18 and the pitman 15, the flexible element 7 being wound upon the wheel 10'. The flexible element 7, moving overthe idler 8, closes the gate barrier 2. After a suiiicient period of time has elapsed, the air will leak out of the cylinder 12' through the bleed valve 21', the spring 22 reacting on the piston 19, to

move the piston 19 to the right in Figure 1, the flexible element 7 being paid off the wheel 9, and the weight 6 serving, to. open the gate. It will be understood that the pipe 24 is extended, so that it may be connected to a mechanism like thatrhe'reinbefore described, but located on the opposite side of the highway crossing, thereby enabling the gate to'be closedregardless of the direction in which the train is proceeding. 7

1. In a device of the class described, a track rail, a lever and a fulcrum therefor, the lever comprising parts which diverge from the track raiha stop, means for pivotally connecting said parts of the lever whereby the lever will elongate and cause one of said parts to cooperate withthe stop when the other of said parts is engaged by a passing car moving inonedirection on the rail, and gate operating means assembled with the first specified part of the lever and actuated thereby, through the instrumentality of a car moving in an opposite direction on the rail.

2. In a device of the class described, a gate, means for opening the gate 5 and means for closing the gate, said means comprising" the rotary member, a flexible element wound about the rotary member and con nected to the gate, a' cylinder, a piston op era-ting in the cylinder, means for connecting the piston to the'rotary member, spring means for moving the piston in one direction, mechanism for supplying pressure to the cylinder to operate the piston in an opposite direction, and means operated by'a passing car for operating said mechanism.

3. In a device voff th'ecl-assdescribed, a cylinder, a storage tank whereinto thecylinder discharges, a piston opera-ting in the cylinder, means actuated by a passing car for operating the piston, second cylinder in communication with the tank, a second piston operating in" the second cylinder, pres sure in the tank constituting means for moving the second piston inone direction, spring means for moving the second piston in an opposite direction, a gate, and means for connecting the second piston with the gate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signamums EDWIN summon 

